Iran Using Coronavirus as an Excuse to Demand Sanctions Relief

(Washington Free Beacon) Adam Kredo - The Iranian government is claiming that U.S. sanctions are to blame for the aggressive spread of the coronavirus across the Islamic Republic. The U.S. administration is aggressively pushing back against these claims, citing current sanctions exceptions for critical medication and humanitarian supplies. "The United States has and continues to offer humanitarian assistance to the Iranian people for their response to the coronavirus outbreak," a State Department official said. "It is unfortunate for the Iranian people that their government has rejected this offer to date. The media should know better than to believe...propaganda that misleads the public into believing U.S. sanctions are to blame." "The Iranian regime has prioritized its proxies over the Iranian people and stolen the money the Iranian people expected would go for their health care," the official said. "In July 2019," for instance, "1 billion euros intended for medical supplies 'disappeared' and another $170 million allocated for medical goods were instead spent on tobacco....Since 2012, the regime has spent over $16 billion on terror abroad. The Iranian people know that any sanctions relief would go to sponsor terrorist, not humanitarian, activities."


2020-03-20 00:00:00

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